COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The eighth annual Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships is set to take place this weekend (Feb. 8-10) on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis. A record 341 teams featuring 2,400 players will take to the ice to participate in 612 games on 28 rinks in what will be the largest tournament to date.

Players in the 2013 event will represent 30 different states including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Teams will play in 18 different divisions, including four women’s divisons, on an ice surface currently 20 inches thick. Registration for the event began on July 16, 2012, and was completely sold out one month later on August 17.

The immense popularity of the event has resulted in continued expansion over the years. In 2012, the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships attracted 281 teams that took part in 511 games on 24 rinks. The inaugural event in 2006 included 40 teams and 240 players.

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Janet has been covering women's hockey for over 15 years. She is the magazine photographer and designer, as well as women's hockey columnist. Janet worked in Public Relations for 38 years and has photographed sports for over 30 years. She is also a columnist, photographer and designer for WNY Hockey Report.